Polish presidency in OSCE

03 January 2022

On 1st January Polish presidency will officially start in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe. Its priority is to actively prevent and mitigate conflicts and crisis situations – head of Ministry of Foreign Affairs Zbigniew Rau has announced.

Poland will take the lead in the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe pursuant to the decision of the Ministerial Council of OSCE in Bratislava dated 5th December 2019 and will hold this position for the second time in history. First time Poland chaired the Organisation in 1998. Polish chairmanship in OSCE will last from 1st January until 31st December 2022.

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announcement, minister Rau will officially inaugurate our chairmanship and present its priorities on 13th January in the meeting of the Permanent Council of OSCE in Vienna. Poland will cooperate within the so called OSCE triumvirate together with the previous and successive chairmanship – Sweden and North Macedonia.

Sweden gave the lead over to Poland during the December Ministerial Council in Stockholm, Poland will formally start exercising it in the beginning of the year. The head of Polish diplomacy assured in the capital of Sweden that Poland is ready to work and Polish presidency will be characterised by responsibility, realism and reliability.

Rau also highlighted that the “priority for Polish presidency will be to actively prevent and mitigate conflicts and crisis situations”. In the middle of July, in Vienna, during the meeting of the Permanent Council of OSCE, Rau also said that Poland wants to strive for stability and security in the region. He underlined that one of the most extreme and current challenges in the area of European security is solving the conflict in Ukraine.

“Poland will fully support all the diplomatic efforts for peaceful solving of the situation inside and around Ukraine in accordance with the Minsk agreements and full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally acknowledged borders” – said Rau.

From Rau’s point of view, Poland will take the lead in OSCE in a very difficult period. Polish priorities will focus on the so called three dimensions or three baskets of activities of OSCE. “The first one is the sphere of military and political conflicts, the second one concerns economy issues, and the third one is related to human rights” -said Rau.

OSCE gathers 57 member states. The genesis of the organisation derives from the Final Act of the Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe in Helsinki in 1975. The formal decision on transforming the CSCE into OSCE was taken during the summit in Budapest in 1994. The works of OSCE concentrate on three dimensions: political, economic-environmental and human, which form a unique (for OSCE) and comprehensive security concept.

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03 November 2025

The 6 th edition of the Three Seas Local Government Congress will be held May 27-28, 2026, under the Honorary Patronage of the President of the Republic of Poland, Karol Nawrocki. This distinction recognises the growing importance of the event, which has become a key platform for cooperation among the countries of Central and Eastern Europe, both in the economic and infrastructural dimensions.

Over five editions of the Congress (2020–2025), more than 5,000 participants from 24 countries have taken part, 104 discussion panels have been held, and 64 foreign delegations have visited Lublin. The scale and international character of the event confirm its increasing role in shaping dialogue across the Three Seas region.

We, the countries representing Central and Eastern Europe (…) through the Three Seas Initiative, Via Baltica, and Via Carpatia, share not only our voice and vision of building a civic community, but also tangible results showing that the Baltic States and the countries of Central and Eastern Europe are capable of implementing major infrastructure projects, emphasised President Karol Nawrocki during his visit to Vilnius last month.

These words perfectly capture the spirit of the Three Seas Congress, which brings together political, academic, and business communities around a shared goal, building a strong, integrated, and cooperative Central and Eastern Europe.

It is also worth noting that in April 2025, Poland hosted the 10th Three Seas Initiative Summit. During the event, participants emphasised the importance of infrastructure and economic cooperation in the region and the need to strengthen cohesion across Central and Eastern Europe. This year, the cooperation format has been expanded to include new members – Albania and Montenegro joined the Three Seas Initiative in the capacity of associated participating states, while Spain and Turkey became new strategic partners. It has already been announced that the 11th Summit will take place in Croatia in 2026.

We cordially invite you to take part in the Three Seas Local Government Congress! Registration will open in the end of January. More details will soon be available at www.congress.lubelskie.pl and on our social media channels.